anti-FLAG M2 Antibody Research Articles

A human skin multifunctional O-acyltransferase that catalyzes the synthesis of acylglycerols, waxes, and retinyl esters

Acyl-CoA-dependent O-acyltransferases catalyze reactions in which fatty acyl-CoAs are joined to acyl acceptors containing free hydroxyl groups to produce neutral lipids. In this report, we characterize a human multifunctional O-acyltransferase (designated MFAT) that belongs to the acyl-CoA:diacylglycerol acyltransferase 2/acyl-CoA:monoacylglycerol acyltransferase (MGAT) gene family and is highly expressed in the skin. Membranes of insect cells and homogenates of mammalian cells overexpressing MFAT exhibited significantly increased MGAT, acyl-CoA:fatty acyl alcohol acyltransferase (wax synthase), and acyl-CoA:retinol acyltransferase (ARAT) activities, which catalyze the synthesis of diacylglycerols, wax monoesters, and retinyl esters, respectively. Furthermore, when provided with the appropriate substrates, intact mammalian cells overexpressing MFAT accumulated more waxes and retinyl esters than control cells. We conclude that MFAT is a multifunctional acyltransferase that likely plays an important role in lipid metabolism in human skin.

The C-terminal Appended Domain of Human Cytosolic Leucyl-tRNA Synthetase Is Indispensable in Its Interaction with Arginyl-tRNA Synthetase in the Multi-tRNA Synthetase Complex

Human cytosolic leucyl-tRNA synthetase is one component of a macromolecular aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase complex. This is unlike prokaryotic and lower eukaryotic LeuRSs that exist as free soluble enzymes. There is little known about it, since the purified enzyme has been unavailable. Herein, human cytosolic leucyl-tRNA synthetase was heterologously expressed in a baculovirus system and purified to homogeneity. The molecular mass (135 kDa) of the enzyme is close to the theoretical value derived from its cDNA. The kinetic constants of the enzyme for ATP, leucine, and tRNA(Leu) in the ATP-PP(i) exchange and tRNA leucylation reactions were determined, and the results showed that it is quite active as a free enzyme. Human cytosolic leucyl-tRNA synthetase expressed in human 293 T cells localizes predominantly to the cytosol. Additionally, it is found to have a long C-terminal extension that is absent from bacterial and yeast LeuRSs. A C-terminal 89-amino acid truncated human cytosolic leucyl-tRNA synthetase was constructed and purified, and the catalytic activities, thermal stability, and subcellular location were found to be almost identical to native enzyme. In vivo and in vitro experiments, however, show that the C-terminal extension of human cytosolic leucyl-tRNA synthetase is indispensable for its interaction with the N-terminal of human cytosolic arginyl-tRNA synthetase in the macromolecular complex. Our results also indicate that the two molecules interact with each other only through their appended domains.

Rheb Binding to Mammalian Target of Rapamycin (mTOR) Is Regulated by Amino Acid Sufficiency

The removal of extracellular amino acids or leucine alone inhibits the ability of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) to signal to the raptor-dependent substrates, p70 S6 kinase and 4E-BP. This inhibition can be overcome by overexpression of the Rheb GTPase. Rheb binds directly to the amino-terminal lobe of the mTOR catalytic domain, and activates mTOR kinase in a GTP-dependent manner. Herein we show that the binding of Rheb to endogenous and recombinant mTOR is reversibly inhibited by withdrawal of all extracellular amino acids or just leucine. The effect of amino acid withdrawal is not attributable to changes in Rheb-GTP charging; amino acid withdrawal does not alter the GTP charging of recombinant Rheb. Moreover, the binding of mTOR to Rheb mutants that are unable to bind guanyl nucleotide in vivo is also inhibited by amino withdrawal. The inhibitory effect of amino acid withdrawal is exerted through an action on mTOR, at a site largely distinct from that responsible for the binding of Rheb; deletion of the larger, carboxyl-terminal lobe of the mTOR catalytic domain eliminates the inhibitory effect of amino acid withdrawal on Rheb binding, without altering Rheb binding per se. The lesser ability of the mTOR catalytic domain to bind Rheb after amino acid withdrawal does not persist after extraction and purification of the mTOR polypeptide. Amino acid withdrawal may generate an inhibitor of the Rheb-mTOR interaction that interferes with the signaling function of TOR complex 1.

Protein Kinase D Specifically Mediates Apoptosis Signal-regulating Kinase 1-JNK Signaling Induced by H2O2 but Not Tumor Necrosis Factor

Although both tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and H2O2 induce activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) kinase cascades, it is not known whether they utilize distinct intracellular signaling pathways. In this study, we first examined a variety of pharmacological inhibitors on TNF and H2O2-induced JNK activation. Go6983 or staurosporine, which inhibits protein kinase C isoforms had no effects on TNF or H2O2-induced JNK activation. However, Go6976 and calphostin, which can inhibit protein kinase C as well as protein kinase D (PKD), blocked H2O2- but not TNF-induced JNK activation, suggesting that PKD may be specifically involved in H2O2-induced JNK activation. Consistently, H2O2, but not TNF, induced phosphorylation of PKD and translocation of PKD from endothelial cell membrane to cytoplasm where it associates with the JNK upstream activator, apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1). The association is mediated through the pleckstrin homology domain of PKD and the C-terminal domain of ASK1. Inhibition of PKD by Go6976 or by small interfering RNA of PKD blocked H2O2-induced ASK1-JNK activation and endothelial cell apoptosis. Interestingly, H2O2 induced 14-3-3 binding to PKD via the phospho-Ser-205/208 and phospho-Ser-219/223 and H2O2-induced 14-3-3 binding of PKD was specifically blocked by Go6976 but not by Go6983. More significantly, the 14-3-3-binding defective forms of PKD failed to associate with ASK1 and to activate JNK signaling, highlighting the importance of 14-3-3 binding of PKD in H2O2-induced activation of ASK1-JNK cascade. Thus, our data have identified PKD as a critical mediator in H2O2- but not TNF-induced ASK1-JNK signaling.

Importin α/β Mediates Nuclear Transport of a Mammalian Circadian Clock Component, mCRY2, Together with mPER2, through a Bipartite Nuclear Localization Signal

Circadian rhythms, which period is approximately one day, are generated by endogenous biological clocks. These clocks are found throughout the animal kingdom, as well as in plants and even in prokaryotes. Molecular mechanisms for circadian rhythms are based on transcriptional oscillation of clock component genes, consisting of interwoven autoregulatory feedback loops. Among the loops, the nuclear transport of clock proteins is a crucial step for transcriptional regulation. In the present study, we showed that the nuclear entry of mCRY2, a mammalian clock component, is mediated by the importin alpha/beta system through a bipartite nuclear localization signal in its carboxyl end. In vitro transport assay using digitonin-permeabilized cells demonstrated that all three importin alphas, alpha1 (Rch1), alpha3 (Qip-1), and alpha7 (NPI-2), can mediate mCRY2 import. mCRY2 with the mutant nuclear localization signal failed to transport mPER2 into the nucleus of mammalian cultured cells, indicating that the nuclear localization signal identified in mCRY2 is physiologically significant. These results suggest that the importin alpha/beta system is involved in nuclear entry of mammalian clock components, which is indispensable to transcriptional oscillation of clock genes.

Tumor Necrosis Factor α-induced Desumoylation and Cytoplasmic Translocation of Homeodomain-interacting Protein Kinase 1 Are Critical for Apoptosis Signal-regulating Kinase 1-JNK/p38 Activation

The apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1)-JNK/p38 signaling pathway is pivotal component in cell apoptosis and can be activated by a variety of death stimuli including tumor necrosis factor (TNF) alpha and oxidative stress (reactive oxygen species). However, the mechanism for ASK1 activation is not fully understood. We have recently identified ASK1-interacting protein (AIP1) as novel signal transducer in TNFalpha-induced ASK1 activation by facilitating dissociation of ASK1 from its inhibitor 14-3-3. In the present study, we employed yeast two-hybrid system using the N-terminal domain of AIP1 as bait and identified homeodomain-interacting protein kinase 1 (HIPK1) as an AIP1-associated protein. Interestingly, we showed that TNFalpha induced HIPK1 desumoylation concomitant with a translocation from nucleus to cytoplasm at 15 min followed by a return to nucleus by 60 min. The kinetics of HIPK1 translocation correlates with those of stress-induced ASK1-JNK/P38 activation. A specific JNK inhibitor blocked the reverse but not the initial translocation of HIPK1, suggesting that the initial translocation is an upstream event of ASK1-JNK/p38 signaling and JNK activation regulates the reverse translocation as a feedback mechanism. Consistently, expression of HIPK1 increased, whereas expression of a kinase-inactive form (HIPK1-D315N) or small interference RNA of HIPK1 decreased stress-induced ASK1-JNK/P38 activation without effects on IKK-NF-kappaB signaling. Moreover, a sumoylation-defective mutant of HIPK1 (KR5) localizes to the cytoplasm and is constitutively active in ASK1-JNK/P38 activation. Furthermore, HIPK1-KR5 induces dissociation of ASK1 from its inhibitors 14-3-3 and thioredoxin and synergizes with AIP1 to induce ASK1 activation. Our study suggests that TNFalpha-induced desumoylation and cytoplasmic translocation of HIPK1 are critical in TNFalpha-induced ASK1-JNK/p38 activation.

Nonspecific binding of monoclonal anti-FLAG M2 antibody in Indian mustard (Brassica juncea)

Chimeric constructs with the hydrophilic octapeptide FLAG epitope (DYKDDDDK) have been widely used as multipurpose tags for identification, detection, and purification of FLAG fusion proteins. Constructs consisting of C-terminal FLAG-tagged genomic and cDNA clones of anArabidopsis phytochelatin synthase gene,AtPCS1, were used in developing transgenic lines of Indian mustard. Presence and expression ofAtPCS1 in transgenic lines were confirmed by using PCR and Northern blot analyses. However, immunoblot analysis revealed strong nonspecific binding of a monoclonal anti-FLAG M2 antibody to an endogenous protein in both shoot and leaf tissues of wild-type Indian mustard (85-kDa) that masked presence of the phytochelatin synthase (PCS) protein of interest (55-kDa). Further analysis revealed absence of a nonspecific protein in root tissues of transgenic plants, thus allowing detection of the FLAG-tagged PCS protein.

Distinct Conformations of the Corticotropin Releasing Factor Type 1 Receptor Adopted following Agonist and Antagonist Binding Are Differentially Regulated

The corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) type 1 receptor (CRF1) is a class B family G protein-coupled receptor that regulates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal stress axis. Astressin is an amino-terminal truncated analog of CRF that retains high affinity binding to the extracellular domain of the receptor and is believed to act as a neutral competitive antagonist of receptor activation. Here we show that despite being unable to activate the CRF1 receptor, astressin binding results in the internalization of the receptor. Furthermore, entirely different pathways of internalization of CRF1 receptors are utilized following CRF and astressin binding. CRF causes the receptor to be phosphorylated, recruit beta-arrestin2, and to be internalized rapidly, likely through clathrin-coated pits. Astressin, however, fails to induce receptor phosphorylation or beta-arrestin2 recruitment, and internalization is slow and occurs through a pathway that is insensitive to inhibitors of clathrin-coated pits and caveolae. The fate of the internalized receptors also differs because only CRF-induced internalization results in receptor down-regulation. Furthermore, we present evidence that for astressin to induce internalization it must interact with both the extracellular amino terminus and the juxtamembrane domain of the receptor. Astressin binds with 6-fold higher affinity to full-length CRF1 receptors than to a chimeric protein containing only the extracellular domain attached to the transmembrane domain of the activin IIB receptor, yet two 12-residue analogs of astressin have similar affinities for both proteins but are unable to induce receptor internalization. These data demonstrate that agonists and antagonists for CRF1 receptors promote distinct conformations, which are then differentially regulated.

β-Arrestin Binding to the β2-Adrenergic Receptor Requires Both Receptor Phosphorylation and Receptor Activation

Homologous desensitization of beta2-adrenergic receptors has been shown to be mediated by phosphorylation of the agonist-stimulated receptor by G-protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 (GRK2) followed by binding of beta-arrestins to the phosphorylated receptor. Binding of beta-arrestin to the receptor is a prerequisite for subsequent receptor desensitization, internalization via clathrin-coated pits, and the initiation of alternative signaling pathways. In this study we have investigated the interactions between receptors and beta-arrestin2 in living cells using fluorescence resonance energy transfer. We show that (a) the initial kinetics of beta-arrestin2 binding to the receptor is limited by the kinetics of GRK2-mediated receptor phosphorylation; (b) repeated stimulation leads to the accumulation of GRK2-phosphorylated receptor, which can bind beta-arrestin2 very rapidly; and (c) the interaction of beta-arrestin2 with the receptor depends on the activation of the receptor by agonist because agonist withdrawal leads to swift dissociation of the receptor-beta-arrestin2 complex. This fast agonist-controlled association and dissociation of beta-arrestins from prephosphorylated receptors should permit rapid control of receptor sensitivity in repeatedly stimulated cells such as neurons.

Mouse p56 Blocks a Distinct Function of Eukaryotic Initiation Factor 3 in Translation Initiation

Members of the p56 family of mammalian proteins are strongly induced in virus-infected cells and in cells treated with interferons or double-stranded RNA. Previously, we have reported that human p56 inhibits initiation of translation by binding to the "e" subunit of eukaryotic initiation factor 3 (eIF3) and subsequently interfering with the eIF3/eIF2.GTP.Met-tRNAi (ternary complex) interaction. Here we report that mouse p56 also interferes with eIF3 functions and inhibits translation. However, the murine protein binds to the "c" subunit, not the "e" subunit, of eIF3. Consequently, it has only a marginal effect on eIF3.ternary complex interaction. Instead, the major inhibitory effect of mouse p56 is manifested at a different step of translation initiation, namely the binding of eIF4F to the 40 S ribosomal subunit.eIF3.ternary complex. Thus, mouse and human p56 proteins block different functions of eIF3 by binding to its different subunits.

Corl1, a Novel Neuronal Lineage-specific Transcriptional Corepressor for the Homeodomain Transcription Factor Lbx1

During development, neuronal identity is determined by a combination of numerous transcription factors. However, the mechanisms of synergistic action of these factors in transcriptional regulation and subsequent cell fate specification are largely unknown. In this study, we identified a novel gene, Corl1, encoding a nuclear protein with homology to the Ski oncoprotein. Corl1 was highly selectively expressed in the central nervous system (CNS). In the embryonic CNS, Corl1 was expressed in a certain subset of postmitotic neurons generated posterior to the midbrain-hindbrain border. In the developing spinal cord, Corl1 was selectively expressed in the dorsal horn interneurons where a homeodomain transcription factor, Lbx1, is required for proper specification. Corl1 was localized in a nuclear dot-like structure and interacted with general transcriptional corepressors. In addition, Corl1 showed transcriptional repression activity in the GAL4-fusion system, indicating its involvement in the regulation of transcriptional repression. Furthermore, Corl1 interacted with Lbx1 and cooperatively repressed transcription, suggesting that it acts as a transcriptional corepressor for Lbx1 in regulating cell fate determination in the dorsal spinal cord. Corl1 corepressor activity did not depend on Gro/TLE activity, and Gro/TLE also functioned as a corepressor for Lbx1. Thus, Lbx1 can select two independent partners, Corl1 and Gro/TLE, as corepressors. Identification of a novel transcriptional corepressor with neuronal subtype-restricted expression might provide insights into the mechanisms of cell fate determination in neurons.

The Phosphatidylglycerol/Cardiolipin Biosynthetic Pathway Is Required for the Activation of Inositol Phosphosphingolipid Phospholipase C, Isc1p, during Growth of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Inositolsphingolipid phospholipase C (Isc1p) is the Saccharomyces cerevisiae member of the extended family of neutral sphingomyelinases that regulates the generation of bioactive ceramides. Recently, we reported that Isc1p is post-translationally activated in the post-diauxic phase of growth and that it localizes to mitochondria (Vaena de Avalos, S., Okamoto, Y., and Hannun, Y. A. (2004) J. Biol. Chem. 279, 11537-11545). In this study the in vivo mechanisms of activation and function of Isc1p were investigated. Deletion of ISC1 resulted in markedly lower growth in non-fermentable carbon sources. Interestingly, the growth defect of isc1Delta strains resembled that of pgs1Delta strains, lacking the committed step in the synthesis of phosphatidylglycerol (PG) and cardiolipin (CL), which were shown to activate Isc1p in vitro. Therefore, the role of Pgs1p in activation of Isc1p in vivo was investigated. The results showed that in the pgs1Delta strain, the growth-dependent activation of Isc1p was impaired as was the ISC1-dependent increase in the levels of phytoceramide during the post-diauxic phase, demonstrating that the activation of Isc1p in vivo is dependent on PGS1 and on the mitochondrial phospholipids PG/CL. Mechanistically, loss of Isc1p resulted in lower levels of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunits cox3p and cox4p, previously established targets of both PG and CL (Ostrander, D. B., Zhang, M., Mileykovskaya, E., Rho, M., and Dowhan, W. (2001) J. Biol. Chem. 276, 25262-25272), thus suggesting that Isc1p mediates at least some functions downstream of PG/CL. This study provides the first evidence for the mechanism of in vivo activation and function of Isc1p. A model with endogenous PG/CL as the in vivo activator of Isc1p is proposed.

Signal-dependent Binding of the Response Regulators PhoP and PmrA to Their Target Promoters in Vivo

Low Mg2+ promotes phosphorylation of the response regulators PhoP and PmrA and transcription of their activated genes in Salmonella enterica. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation, we have now determined that the PhoP and PmrA proteins are recruited to the regulatory region of their target genes when bacteria experience low Mg2+ but not when they are grown in high Mg2+. Even when the PhoP protein was artificially produced at 4-fold higher levels than the wild-type strain, promoter occupancy required the low Mg2+ signal. Substitution of the predicted phosphorylation site Asp-52 with a valine residue abolished phosphorylation of the PhoP protein, resulting in loss of PhoP binding to target promoters and transcription of PhoP-activated genes. Our results indicate that the promoter binding ability of the PhoP and PmrA proteins occurring in low Mg2+ is correlated with phosphorylation of these proteins in vivo.

Nucleo-cytoplasmic Shuttling of Id2, a Negative Regulator of Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors

Id proteins function as negative regulators for basic helix-loop-helix transcriptional factors that play important roles in cell fate determination. They preferentially associate with ubiquitously expressed E proteins of the basic helix-loop-helix family and prevent them from binding to DNA and activating transcription. Although their small size suggests that Id proteins enter and exit the nucleus by passive diffusion, several studies have indicated that other pathways may regulate their subcellular localization. In this study, we obtained evidence that Id2 has the ability to shuttle between the nucleus and the cytoplasm. When passive diffusion was prevented by fusion with green fluorescent protein (GFP), Id2 was predominantly localized in the cytoplasm. Using GFP fusion constructs, we demonstrated that the C-terminal region is required for cytoplasmic localization. Nuclear accumulation of GFP-Id2 in cells treated with the nuclear export inhibitor leptomycin B suggests that the nuclear export receptor chromosome region maintenance protein 1 mediates the cytoplasmic localization of Id2. Id2 contains two putative leucine-rich nuclear export signals, and the nuclear export signal in the C-terminal region is essential for nuclear export. On the other hand, the helix-loop-helix domain is important for nuclear localization. Finally, experiments using reporter assays revealed an inverse correlation between nuclear export and transcriptional repression via the E-box sequence. Based on all these findings, we propose that nucleo-cytoplasmic shuttling is a novel mechanism for the regulation of Id2 function.

Nerve Growth Factor Receptor Signaling Induces Histone Acetyltransferase Domain-dependent Nuclear Translocation of p300/CREB-binding Protein-associated Factor and hGCN5 Acetyltransferases

The transcriptional coactivators, p300/CREB-binding protein-associated factor (PCAF) and hGCN5, are recruited to chromatin-remodeling complexes on enhancers of various gene promoters in response to growth factor stimulation. However, the molecular mechanisms by which surface receptor signals modulate the assembly of nuclear transcription complexes are not fully understood. Here we report that nerve growth factor receptor signaling induces nuclear translocation of PCAF and hGCN5 dependent upon the phosphorylation of Ser and Thr residues within their histone acetyltransferase domains, which requires activation of PI3K, Rsk2(pp90), and MSK-1. Neurotrophin stimulation induces p53(K320) acetylation by PCAF and transcriptionally activates p53-responsive enhancer elements within the p21(WAF/CIP1) promoter associated with G(1)/S arrest during neuronal differentiation. Most importantly, these findings represent the first evidence for signal-dependent nuclear translocation of PCAF and hGCN5 acetyltransferases and allude to a novel mechanism for ligand/receptor modulation of nuclear chromatin-remodeling complexes in neurons.

Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling (SOCS) Proteins Indirectly Regulate Toll-like Receptor Signaling in Innate Immune Cells

Suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS) proteins constitute a class of negative regulators for Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK/STAT) signaling pathways. These intracellular proteins are induced by cytokine signaling, but they can also be induced by stimulation of Toll-like receptors (TLR). It has even been suggested that SOCS proteins are important negative regulators of TLR signaling. Here we have elucidated the nature of the regulatory role of SOCS in TLR signaling. Induction of SOCS-3 and cytokine-inducible Src homology 2-containing protein (CIS) by TLR stimulation was strictly dependent on MyD88 but showed differing needs in case of SOCS-1. However, induction of SOCS proteins by TLR ligands was independent of type I interferon. In macrophages overexpressing SOCS, we were not able to observe an inhibitory effect of SOCS-1, SOCS-2, SOCS-3, or CIS on prototypical TLR target genes such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha. However, we found that TLR-2, TLR-3, TLR-4, and TLR-9 stimulation induced interferon-beta (IFN-beta), which is able to exert auto- and paracrine signaling, leading to the activation of secondary genes like IP-10. SOCS-1 and, to a lesser extent, SOCS-3 and CIS were able to inhibit this indirect signaling pathway following TLR stimulation, whereas neither MAP kinase nor NF kappa B signaling were affected. However, STAT-1 tyrosine phosphorylation following TLR triggering was severely impaired by SOCS-1 overexpression. Thus, our data suggest that SOCS proteins induced by TLR stimulation limit the extent of TLR signaling by inhibiting type I IFN signaling but not the main NF kappa B pathway.

Molecular Isolation and Characterization of a Soluble Isoform of Activated Leukocyte Cell Adhesion Molecule That Modulates Endothelial Cell Function

Cell adhesion molecules regulate a variety of endothelial cell functions such as migration, response to inflammation, and angiogenesis. Recently, activated leukocyte cell adhesion molecule (ALCAM), a member of the Ig superfamily, has been detected in the primitive subsets of hematopoietic cells and endothelial cells during embryogenesis. ALCAM supports the development of hematopoietic cells as well as enhancing capillary tube formation in vitro. Here, we isolated a novel soluble isoform of ALCAM (sALCAM) that is produced via alternative splicing. sALCAM contains the single amino-terminal Ig-like domain of ALCAM and lacks a transmembrane domain. When expressed in cultured cells, sALCAM was properly secreted into the media. Both ALCAM and sALCAM are expressed in a variety of cultured human endothelial cells. Notably, their transcripts were differentially regulated in human microvascular endothelial cells (HMVEC) upon tumor necrosis factor-alpha stimulation. ALCAM significantly enhanced tube formation of endothelial-like yolk sac cells on Matrigel, whereas it inhibited their migration in vitro. sALCAM completely abolished these effects of ALCAM. Furthermore, sALCAM enhanced migration of mock-transfected endothelial-like yolk sac cells that do not express ALCAM, indicating that sALCAM has an independent effect on cell migration in addition to modulating ALCAM function. In addition, sALCAM significantly enhanced migration of HMVEC, whereas it inhibited tube formation of HMVEC on Matrigel. sALCAM demonstrated an ability to bind ALCAM and partially inhibited ALCAM-ALCAM homophilic interactions. Taken together, these data characterize a novel soluble isoform of ALCAM that may have ALCAM-dependent and ALCAM-independent functions, providing further insights regarding the role of this adhesion molecule in the regulation of endothelial cell function.

Casein Kinase II-mediated Phosphorylation Regulates α-Synuclein/Synphilin-1 Interaction and Inclusion Body Formation

Alpha-synuclein is a phosphoprotein that accumulates as a major component of Lewy bodies in the brains of patients with Parkinson disease. Synphilin-1, which is also present in Lewy bodies, binds with alpha-synuclein and forms cytoplasmic inclusions in transfected cells. Yet the molecular determinants of this protein-protein interaction are unknown. Here we report that casein kinase II (CKII) phosphorylates synphilin-1 and that the beta subunit of this enzyme complex binds to synphilin-1. Additionally, both CKII alpha and beta subunits are present within cytoplasmic inclusions in cells that overexpress synphilin-1. Notably, the interaction between synphilin-1 and alpha-synuclein is markedly dependent on phosphorylation. Inhibition of CKII activity by 5,6-dichloro-1-beta-D-ribofuranosylbenzimidazole blocks the binding between these two proteins and significantly reduces the percentage of cells that contain eosinophilic cytoplasmic inclusions. Mutation of the major CKII phosphorylation site in alpha-synuclein (S129A) has no significant impact on the binding between alpha-synuclein and synphilin-1 or on the formation of synphilin-1/alpha-synuclein-positive inclusions. These data suggest that the CKII-mediated phosphorylation of synphilin-1 rather than that of alpha-synuclein is critical in modulating their tendency to aggregate into inclusions. These observations collectively indicate that a ubiquitous post-translational modification such as phosphorylation can regulate inclusion body formation in the context of alpha-synuclein and synphilin-1 interaction.

Mouse Rev1 protein interacts with multiple DNA polymerases involved in translesion DNA synthesis.

Pol kappa and Rev1 are members of the Y family of DNA polymerases involved in tolerance to DNA damage by replicative bypass [translesion DNA synthesis (TLS)]. We demonstrate that mouse Rev1 protein physically associates with Pol kappa. We show too that Rev1 interacts independently with Rev7 (a subunit of a TLS polymerase, Pol zeta) and with two other Y-family polymerases, Pol iota and Pol eta. Mouse Pol kappa, Rev7, Pol iota and Pol eta each bind to the same approximately 100 amino acid C-terminal region of Rev1. Furthermore, Rev7 competes directly with Pol kappa for binding to the Rev1 C-terminus. Notwithstanding the physical interaction between Rev1 and Pol kappa, the DNA polymerase activity of each measured by primer extension in vitro is unaffected by the complex, either when extending normal primer-termini, when bypassing a single thymine glycol lesion, or when extending certain mismatched primer termini. Our observations suggest that Rev1 plays a role(s) in mediating protein-protein interactions among DNA polymerases required for TLS. The precise function(s) of these interactions during TLS remains to be determined.

Etk/Bmx Transactivates Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor 2 and Recruits Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase to Mediate the Tumor Necrosis Factor-induced Angiogenic Pathway

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF), via its receptor 2 (TNFR2), induces Etk (or Bmx) activation and Etk-dependent endothelial cell (EC) migration and tube formation. Because TNF receptor 2 lacks an intrinsic kinase activity, we examined the kinase(s) mediating TNF-induced Etk activation. TNF induces a coordinated phosphorylation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor 2 (VEGFR2) and Etk, which is blocked by VEGFR2-specific inhibitors. In response to TNF, Etk and VEGFR2 form a complex resulting in a reciprocal activation between the two kinases. Subsequently, the downstream phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-Akt signaling (but not signaling through phospholipase C-gamma) was initiated and directly led to TNF-induced EC migration, which was significantly inhibited by VEGFR2-, PI3K-, or Akt-specific inhibitors. Phosphorylation of VEGFR2 at Tyr-801 and Tyr-1175, the critical sites for VEGF-induced PI3K-Akt signaling, was not involved in TNF-mediated Akt activation. However, TNF induces phosphorylation of Etk at Tyr-566, directly mediating the recruitment of the p85 subunit of PI3K. Furthermore, TNF- but not VEGF-induced activation of VEGFR2, Akt, and EC migration are blunted in EC genetically deficient with Etk. Taken together, our data demonstrated that TNF induces transactivation between Etk and VEGFR2, and Etk directly activates PI3K-Akt angiogenic signaling independent of VEGF-induced VEGFR2-PI3K-Akt signaling pathway.